I cried at work today.

They were happy tears, thankfully. 😊

I went to pick up some food for us back in the salon and when I returned I had a new dog to wash. I went back and then I saw her. I recognized her immediately: Gussie. 😁 Gussie was at PetSmart getting a bath. That could only mean one thing: That she'd found her forever home! 😁😁😁

As most of my friends know I've been volunteering with the shelter for over a year now. When we walk the dogs at PetSmart on the first Saturday of the month I'm usually there. I think I've only missed two or three Saturdays - tops. During this time I've fallen for many a dog. Unfortunately, I don't have the space or funds to take them all home with me; otherwise I would.

Well there's a pretty little doggie that I walked EVERY Saturday that she got to come... she's so beautiful and sweet. I have a picture of her. 😀

She's very shy and quiet. Smart, too. She's not as rambunctious as the other dogs so we would usually go off by ourselves and learn something. She's a quick learner. I would always tell her every time how much I wished I could have her, but that I couldn't. I reassured her that she would find her forever home soon, though, and that it would be well worth the wait.

So today was the day. 😌 I was very happy for her. (So happy I cried. LOL) I'm probably wayyy to attached to animals that aren't even mine, but whatever. I think they feel my love and that's all that matters to me. For whatever it's worth I care, and I hope they know it.

I got to meet her family... she now has two little boys to play with (who seemed surprisingly well-mannered despite how young they looked), and an awesome mom and dad. The dad said that he'd picked her out last week, but was going to be away on business so he didn't want to bring her home until he came back. He talked about how pretty and sweet she was and I told him that he'd picked out a very good girl. She's been microchipped already and is enrolled in training classes. I have a feeling she'll be very well cared for. 😁 Aside from the fact that I couldn't get the shelter funk completely off her, the dad said he'd bring her back just to see me. Shit like this really makes my day. You have no idea. 😁😁😁

Congratulations, Gussie! I can't wait to see you again! 😍

Rest in Peace, Jak :(

I found little Jak dead this morning. 😭 I didn't have him for long... a few months - tops, but I he was a very sweet boy. I'm honestly not sure what went wrong as he showed no signs of sickness or injury at all. I'm thinking he might have just been old... rats don't have very long life spans, unfortunately, and I have no way of knowing his age seeing as how he was given to me. There's just no telling how old he was when his first owners bought him from the pet store, nor how long they had him.

Anyway, he looked very peaceful which eased my mind. It looked as though he'd curled up and gone to sleep and then just never woke up. I suppose I couldn't think of a better way to go. I will miss you little fatty ratty. Have a good sleep.

Dog Bite

First of all I'd like to say "thank you" to everyone who wrote to check on me... it really made my day to see so many messages from my friends. 😊 So this means that you love me! You really LOVE me! 😃

Anyway, so here's the whole story: Yesterday I was about to bathe a little 5 month old Jack Russell Terrier named Snoopy... but before the bath I wanted to get his nails clipped and his ears cleaned. Well, I was doing his nails and got both of the back feet without much of a hassle. Then I moved to the front... he allowed me to clip his right foot, but not without some fussing. He wasn't really growling... just sort of grumbling at me. If you've ever trimmed a dog's nails you know that most of them DO NOT like it. And quite a few of them will grumble at you and fuss and some will even put their teeth ON you... not even necessarily with their mouth open, but they will do that pretty much as a warning that they don't like what you're doing.

So... all I was getting was a little bit of fussing on the first front foot, which I didn't think much about. When I picked up the other front paw he just grumbled some more and lowered his head (which isn't unusual). So I started clipping... and then he went all Cujo on my hand. The first time he bit hurt the worst so I'm assuming that's when he left the puncture wound although I didn't know it at the time. The other few times he bit were a little less forceful probably because he realized that (for reasons I'm not even sure of) it wasn't making me let go of his foot. Honestly, until I saw the wound I thought he was just protesting... I didn't know that he was really trying to prove his point.

So after his tantrum (with me STILL holding his foot), I noticed my hand throbbing and saw the little hole... one of the other bathers came over and muzzled him and I finished his nails. See, if you let them show their asses and get their way they'll just be that much worse the next go round. So I finished what I had to do. I know I didn't hurt the little shit... he had clear nails so I could see his quicks and I hadn't cut any of them. He just didn't like what was going on.

After I finished I got a better look at my hand... it was a small hole, but it was there. We decided that we should probably tell management (since that IS the rule) and so we did. I had to call a nurse who STRONGLY recommended that I go to the ER... mostly because the puppy hadn't had his rabies shots yet. We take them in the salon up to 6 months old without them and he was only 5. Not only that, but I don't have insurance and if I hadn't went when they sent me I would have probably been liable had there been any complications so... I went.

It was GRUELING. I got there before 9 pm and I didn't make it out of there until 2 am. I am on antibiotics and I had to have a Tetanus shot (which is killing my shoulder, btw). Not only that, but the incident had to be reported to the authorities and the health department. It was even recommended that I call Animal Control, but I'm not going to do that. He was just a puppy - probably spoiled to hell and back and not used to his feet being handled. OH, and here's the best part: if we don't go through the proper channels and have him quarantined for 10 days I'll have to take rabies shots. The hospital and health department both have their eyes on me.

So yeah... all this fuss over a puncture that within two hours closed up to be about this long: -- And the moral of the story is: Handle your dogs feet. And have them vaccinated ASAP. It sure would make my life easier. 😝

What a day...

It started off quite shitty. I went to work 2 hours late due to some major miscommunication (which translated into me staying two hours late to make up my time) and was almost involved in a car accident on the way there. I missed out on washing two dogs that I was really excited to meet... I did, however, see them on their way out. They were Irish Wolfhounds and they were BEAUTIFUL.

But, I got an awesomely pleasant surprise visit from Chocolate Dog - now named by his new family "Choco." 😁 Jim said that he'd been to the vet (he did have a rabies tag on today) and that he's been tested and treated for all the routine stuff and he's doing well. Also, the vet said that he appeared to be a full-blooded lab and that he was probably about a year old. 😀

So far the kids love him and he's getting along with everyone just great. Jim still seemed really happy to have him as part of the family (even though he chewed the corner of one of their couch cushions). We talked for a while and I just feel really good about how the whole situation played out.

Gosh, when I saw Jim walk in front of the salon I'm telling you - I LIT UP. I recognized him right off and I rushed to the window to see if he'd brought my friend to see me. When he had that was it. My day was good.

Also, I tickled a snake today.

Not only that - one of my favorite doggies to wash came in. She comes so often that her dad just sat her down in the floor and she ran right to me. She knows who gives her baths and paints her nails! Her name is Lulu and she's a baby English Bulldog. She's a trip. Every time that I wash her she grabs my zipper charms and unzips my smock. She sometimes even bites the water. She's so playful. ... Ok, I wasn't going to do this, but here's a picture of her & Mo (one of the other bathers). 😁

She is totally winking. 😂

The End. 😊

Daxter

Rats aren't supposed to live alone, you know. 😁

The other one, btw... his name is Jak. 😍

Doggie Christmas 2007

My name must be Tinkerbell...

because all the lost boys find me.

So yeah, he came here tonight in the crappiest of conditions. He'd been left at a friends house (probably on their porch in this cold ass weather) in a 10 gallon aquarium with a wooden board on top with a t-shirt and half a bucket (for shelter, I guess??) thrown in the tank. And his food and water dishes were the bottoms of 20 ounce soda bottles. My friends then brought him to me seeing as how they have a bunch of cats and couldn't keep him.

So uh... I guess I have myself a new man rat.